Academy of Applied Preschool Teaching and Health Studies
Strategic objective
Activities
Responsible bodies
Timeframe
Indicators of success
Strengthening international cooperation
Establish and maintain cooperation with higher education institutions and relevant organizations abroad; conclude bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding
Management of the Academy, International Relations Office, Departments
Continuous
Number of international agreements and active partnerships
Promoting student mobility
Inform students about mobility opportunities; support participation in Erasmus+, CEEPUS and other programmes; facilitate recognition of learning outcomes
International Relations Office, Departments
Continuous
Number of outgoing and incoming students
Enhancing staff mobility
Encourage participation of academic and administrative staff in teaching and training mobility programmes
International Relations Office, Management, Departments
Continuous
Number of staff mobilities
Increasing participation in international projects
Identify funding opportunities; establish project teams; prepare and implement international projects
Management, Project Teams, Departments
Continuous
Number of submitted and implemented projects
Developing international academic and professional cooperation
Organize joint activities, seminars, conferences, and workshops with international partners
Departments, Research and Professional Bodies
Continuous
Number of joint events and activities
Strengthening research cooperation
Promote joint research projects and co-authored publications with international partners
Academic staff, Departments
Continuous
Number of joint publications and research initiatives
Internationalisation at home
Integrate international and intercultural dimensions into curricula;
Academic staff, Departments
Continuous
Number of international guest lectures and activities
Supporting language and intercultural competencies
Encourage foreign language learning and intercultural awareness among students and staff
Departments, International Relations Office
Continuous
Participation in language and intercultural activities
Promoting inclusion and equal opportunities
Ensure equal access to international activities for students and staff with fewer opportunities
Management, International Relations Office
Continuous
Participation rates of underrepresented groups
Supporting digital transformation
Use digital tools and virtual collaboration methods in international cooperation and mobility activities
Academic staff, IT services, International Relations Office
Continuous
Number of online international activities
Promoting sustainability and environmental responsibility
Encourage environmentally responsible practices and sustainable approaches in international activities
Management, International Relations Office
Continuous
Inclusion of sustainability aspects in projects and mobility activities
Increasing international visibility
Promote the Academy and its activities through websites, social media, conferences and international networks
Management, International Relations Office, Public Relations Office
Continuous
Increased number of international contacts and collaborations
Monitoring and Evaluation
The implementation of the Action Plan will be monitored regularly by the Management of the Academy and the International Relations Office. Progress will be assessed through annual reviews based on defined indicators, with the possibility of updating activities in accordance with institutional priorities and emerging opportunities.
The Action Plan is conceived as a dynamic document that may be revised and further developed in response to changes in the international higher education environment and the strategic priorities of the Academy.
The Academy of Applied Preschool Teaching and Health Studies recognizes internationalisation as one of the key factors for enhancing the quality of higher education, promoting the professional development of academic and administrative staff, and strengthening students’ competencies for living and working in an increasingly interconnected world. International cooperation represents an important instrument for improving teaching and learning processes, research activities, professional practice, and institutional capacities.
2. Vision of Internationalisation
The Academy aims to become a recognized higher education institution that actively contributes to the exchange of knowledge, experience, and good practices in the fields of education, healthcare, and social welfare through continuous development of international partnerships and active participation in European and other international initiatives.
3. Strategic Objectives
The internationalisation strategy is focused on achieving the following objectives:
enhancing the quality of education through international cooperation;
developing and strengthening partnerships with higher education institutions, research organizations, and other relevant institutions and stakeholders worldwide;
promoting the mobility of students, academic staff, and administrative personnel;
fostering professional, intercultural, and language competencies among all participants in the educational process;
exchanging experiences and examples of good practice in the fields of education, healthcare, and social welfare;
increasing participation in international projects and funding programmes;
encouraging joint research, professional activities, and academic publishing;
promoting European values, inclusion, equal opportunities, and sustainable development;
strengthening the international visibility and reputation of the Academy.
4. Priority Areas
4.1. Mobility of Students and Staff
The Academy actively supports incoming and outgoing mobility of students, academic staff, and non-academic personnel through Erasmus+, CEEPUS, and other bilateral and multilateral cooperation programmes. Particular emphasis is placed on international experience, knowledge exchange, and professional development.
4.2. International Academic and Professional Cooperation
The Academy seeks to establish and further develop cooperation with higher education institutions, research organizations, healthcare institutions, educational institutions, professional associations, and other relevant partners in order to implement joint activities of mutual interest.
4.3. Participation in International Projects
Special attention is devoted to participation in international programmes and projects aimed at improving the quality of education, digital transformation, inclusion, sustainability, innovative teaching approaches, and institutional capacity building.
4.4. Research and Professional Collaboration
The Academy encourages joint research activities, organization of scientific and professional events, exchange of educational resources, and collaborative publication with international partners.
4.5. Internationalisation at Home
In addition to physical mobility, the Academy promotes the concept of “internationalisation at home” by integrating international and intercultural dimensions into curricula, organizing guest lectures, workshops, and virtual activities, and utilizing digital technologies to foster intercultural dialogue and global awareness.
5. Principles of Implementation
The implementation of the internationalisation strategy is based on the following principles:
quality and academic excellence;
inclusiveness and equal opportunities;
transparency and accountability;
respect for cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue;
sustainability and social responsibility;
digital transformation and innovation;
alignment with European standards and the principles of the European Higher Education Area.
6. Expected Outcomes
The implementation of this strategy is expected to contribute to:
improving the quality of teaching and learning;
strengthening the competencies of students and staff;
enhancing institutional capacities;
promoting research and professional cooperation;
increasing the international visibility and attractiveness of the Academy;
fostering active participation in the European Higher Education Area and the broader international academic community.
Internationalisation is understood as a continuous and dynamic process that supports the mission and vision of the Academy and contributes to its development as a modern, open, innovative, and socially responsible higher education institution.
Academy of Applied Preschool Teaching and Health Studies Krusevac is located in central Serbia, in the town of Krusevac, some two-hundred kilometers from the country capital Belgrade. It consists of four departments, two of which are located in Krusevac, and other two in Cuprija and Alkesinac, respectively. Although the Academy departments have a renown tradition in higher education, the education reform in the first decade of the 21st century introduced various challenges ahead of our institution. Thus, immediately upon the introduction of the Bologna Declaration the Academy Departments became focused on building the capacities which would create the foundation for the improvement of the quality of the teaching process and, consequently, learning outcomes. Having managed to build sufficient capacities and respond to the requirements of the aforementioned reform, our goal for the upcoming period is to place emphasis on internationalization. Namely, internationalization constitutes a crucial precondition for increasing the quality of teaching by means of improving the knowledge, skills, competences and experience of both students and teachers alike. Likewise, internationalization is the most authentic manner of modernizing and establishing innovations in the process of education, introducing and maintaining the European dimension of higher vocational education and spreading the idea of a unique educational space intertwined with national, cultural and language differences which are seen as an advantage in cultivating tolerance, understanding and multiculturalism. Hence, the aims of the Academy internationalization strategy would be as follows: to improve teaching/learning processes at the Academy by means of staff/student mobility, to establish, maintain and improve the co-operation between the Academy and related higher educational institutions abroad, thus increasing international visibility of the Academy and its activities, to further improve the capacities of the Academy necessary for increasing the overall quality and becoming more competitive among the ever growing number of related higher education institutions.
Bearing in mind that the Academy has already had some experience in student/staff mobility, one of the basic proposals of this strategy would be to further establish more Erasmus partnerships, i.e. to conclude inter-institutional agreements with related European higher education institutions, as well as institutions from other countries and regions worldwide. In accordance with the Academy education fields and tradition, it is the proposal of this strategy that the Academy should place its focus in terms of mobility on the countries in the EU Programme Countries, both EU and non-EU ones, from the region of Eastern Europe and ex-Yugoslavia (Slovenia, Croatia, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, etc.), partner Countries from Region 1 and Region 14. Furthermore, our Academy has applied for KA131 and KA171 mobility programs with higher education institutions from countries within Region 2 (Neighbourhood East), Region 3 (South Mediterranean), Region 6 (Central Asia) and Region 9 (Sub-Saharan Africa). With respect to other types of Erasmus projects (strategic partnerships, knowledge alliances, capacity building), the Academy places its focus on the Programme Countries in the region of Western Europe.
Regarding its target groups, the Academy internationalization strategy encompasses all Academy employees and students. Therefore, the Academy wishes to focus on staff/student mobility for the purposes of increasing international dimension of the Academy, improving staff/students´ foreign language competences, intercultural skills, professional knowledge, sharing experiences and disseminating the European dimension of education.
As one of our main goals is to modernize our institution and raise the quality of our practice it is essential that we have closer insight into practices of those whose results at an international level cannot be disputed. The Academy is committed to the following priorities of the modernization agenda:
-improving the curricula in terms of responding to the necessities of the labour market thus increasing students´ employability; by enriching the curricula with the examples of good practice provided through mobility and other co-operation projects we have a better chances of devising curricula which would enable further co-operation, lifelong learning, learning transference, better chances of connecting with and informing the labour market.
-improving the relevance and quality of higher vocational education – it is essential that the Academy initiates and gradually increases the number of outgoing students who would attend studies abroad and thus improve their overall skills and knowledge, as well as to widen linguistic and cultural horizons
-linking higher vocational education and respective work fields with the aim of contributing to social and regional development
-improving the management and Academy services which play a significant role in realizing the Academy goals, being the basic structures of organization and functioning.
We focus on providing quality education to our students and continuous improvement of our staff. It is our aim as well as our desire to improve our study programmes, create new ones and improve our practice by looking up to the best practice in our common European space. One of the manners of accomplishing the aforementioned is through participation in various Erasmus + projects.
Strategy for the organization and implementation of international (EU and non- EU) cooperation projects within the framework of the Erasmus+ Programme
Academy of Applied Preschool Teaching and Health Studies Krusevac has participated in international co-operation project within the framework of the EU higher education strategy preceding Erasmus + (Tempus Programme) in an attempt to build capacities for further modernization and teaching/learning process and practice reform.
Our Academy has participated as a partner in several projects. Some of successfully finalized projects are the following:
1. 517200- TEMPUS-1-2011-1-BE TEMPUS-SMGR
“Establishing and Capacity Building of the Southern Serbian Academy and National Conference for Vocational Higher Education in Serbia” (ECBAC)
4. Erasmus+ Programme, Key Action 1 – Mobility for learners and staff – Higher Education Student and Staff Mobility with Mary Immaculate Academy (MIC), Erasmus code: IRLIMERIC04
Ongoing projects:
1. ERASMUS-EDU-2022-CBHE-STRAND-1
ERASMUS-EDU-2022-CBHE
“Greening Relevance in Operations in Western-Balkans Tertiary-Education Habitats” (GROWTH)
2. Erasmus+ Programme, Key Action 1 – Mobility for learners and staff (KA131)
2023-1-RS01-KA131-HED-000118929
Participating in these projects, the Academy staff and students gained precious experience participating in an international project the result of which was significant improvement in organization, management and functioning of a higher vocational education institution. Bearing in mind this particular experience, the Academy proposes to continue on that path and engage on both strategic partnership and knowledge-alliance projects. Namely, our Academy strives for excellence in teaching and producing independent, self-motivating and innovative professionals with excellent organizational skills and skills of critical thinking. In order for the aforementioned process to be meaningful and beneficial, it is necessary to establish much stronger bonds between education and work fields on the one hand, and among different education institutions, if necessary, even in different fields of education. The desired communication and co-operation cannot be conceived without the compatibility between the educational contents and the real labour market requirements which condition employability of prospective graduates. Hence, within strategic partnerships our Academy would focus on the type of co-operation with relevant stakeholders resulting in the development of innovative practices which would establish a direct link between the needs of the society and learning goals and outcomes by resorting to adequate tools and contents, innovative teaching methods (both digital and pedagogical innovations), as well as development of entrepreneurial skills in students through co-operation with entrepreneurs and relevant social and educational institutions. Likewise, the Academy aims to develop transversal skills and creativity in our students by enabling them to opt for programmes developed through the co-operation with the basis (public and private institutions in the field of preschool education, medicine and health and chemical technology), i.e. for programmes which would empower students to develop creative and critical thinking, independence in the choice of their career path and encourage them to pursue new practices and solutions.
Expected impact of participation in the Erasmus+ Programme
Although the Academy of Applied Preschool Teaching and Health Studies Krusevac has already managed to build some capacities and experience through the participation in international projects, there are numerous issues which leave room for improvement. It is our deepest belief that further international participation within different Erasmus + actions would immensely contribute to the modernization and steadfastness of our institution. A constant improvement is a must if one wishes to stay competitive and relevant. It is the belief of everyone at the Academy, staff and students alike, that intensive participation in various international projects can help us raise the profile of the Academy. Likewise, the international mobility of both students and teachers shall contribute to learning about the latest trends and novelties in the field of education and allow us to implement such innovations in our curricula and thus also promptly convey them to our students who have not participated in the mobility programme and to our local community. Students from vulnerable groups shall have equal access to Erasmus mobility programme and be encouraged to apply. A In the process of educating future professionals it is a must to develop transversal skills and key competences, as they are the ones making the difference between an average and excellent prospective professional, i.e. between considerable and limited career opportunities. In order to develop the aforementioned skills, the Academy aspires to enable the students to study by resorting to the latest teaching/learning methods and tools. This can be done by innovating curricula and introducing short-cycle programmes, by attending such programmes during the periods of mobility, etc. Furthermore, in order to be able to assume a more significant role in the society regarding equal opportunities and social inclusion the Academy aspires to become involved in Erasmus + actions – inclusion strategies implementation, awarding ECTS points for voluntary work and community activities, developing programmes which would encompass local, regional and societal issues.
It is, therefore, one of the objectives of our Academy to help students develop those skills by means of international co-operation.
